Lanka’s Mendis arrested after fatal accident

Colombo, July 5

Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Mendis was arrested today after the vehicle he was driving hit and killed a 64-year-old cyclist.

The accident took place at 5am in Panadura, a suburb of Colombo.

Mendis will appear before a magistrate even as the police conduct an investigation into the accident.

According to police, Mendis’ SUV crashed into the bicycle of the deceased who has been identified as a resident of Gokarella.

The victim suffered serious injuries and died as he was being admitted to the hospital.

The police are investigating if Mendis was driving under the influence.

The 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has represented Sri Lanka in 44 Tests and 76 ODIs. Mendis was part of the national squad that had resumed training after the Covid-19 lockdown.

In 2003, Sri Lanka’s spinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi was given a four-year suspended jail sentence for crashing his vehicle into a woman pedestrian.

Sri Lanka’s international assignments, including a tour by India, have been cancelled due to the pandemic. — PTI